Walking your puppy is a great way of dog exercise. It also avoids idleness and obesity often seen in house dogs that do not have an active lifestyle. Dog walking is also recommended to get your puppy socializing with other dogs. However, there are precautions that you should take heed before doing so.

Avoid busy parks at first – Off-leash parks (where pet dogs are allowed to play without a leash) as well as very busy public parks are not the best place to bring your puppy. The activity level in these places can be overwhelming for a young dog, and it also puts your puppy at risk against a number of potentially fatal diseases from unvaccinated dogs. Instead, take your puppy in a controlled environment like your own backyard or at a puppy kindergarten class.

Have your puppy get full vaccinations – Before setting your puppy to an open park, make sure that your dog has its full set of vaccination shots. This would not give you the worries of your dog contracting various diseases from other dogs.

Train your dog to come near you – You also need to make sure that your dog would come to you when called. You may have realized by now that dogs can recognize if they are being commanded to come near its owner. If your dog is untrained to this, it might get lost in an open public area like a park especially if it is unleashed.

Make sure your dog can swim – If the area have a river of sea nearby, never take your dog’s leash off if you know that your pet cannot swim. If it does know how to swim, however, you need to make sure if dog is even allowed to swim in the water. Remember to be at a safe distance from your dog as it swims, making sure that it is strong enough to swim against the current. Take note not to let your dog swim in a body of water that is partially covered in ice.

If your dog is aggressive, don’t take it out – If your young dog appears to be aggressive towards other people or other dogs, you should not take off its leash anywhere except at your own fenced backyard. These kinds of dogs present a danger to the public.